–Who is Florian Lejal?
I’m a film director based in the North of France, specialized in drama, thriller, and Science fiction but I already have driven comedy and horror films. What I especially likes is to make an impression with modern issues that concern us or could concern us in the years to come. Answering the big questions of our world and our interactions in society to bring new avenues of reflection, new theories about past facts all while carrying a strong emotional wave.
A lot of this questions obsess me, such as that linked to our beginning and the ultimate question: why do we exist/live? Could we have a special goal on Earth, undiscovered at present?
I am keen to develop a new approach with my point of view, on pure fiction, or on films with a preponderant part of truth. I always try to entertain, but by bringing that little extra that keep you sit at the end of a film watching the people you came with.
My dream since I was little has always been to make others dream, to escape them by telling stories rich in meaning.
-What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
Since as young as I am capable, I see films. Cinema has this own way of telling stories in such a versatile and unique way who has always fascinated me.
It’s a bit like a painter who materializes his own reality, and each director is a bit of a painter of visual stories. He/ She is the conductor of a new dream reality. When i first start to discover the art of filming in studies, i fast realised the artistic potential way for telling stories, and the incredible power that animated images have to generate new sensations, emotions… My references in terms of favorite films, everything I love about cinema made me curious to know more and more, this is how I discovered the big names in cinema like Nolan, Spielberg, Burton, McTeigue, Noyce, Snider, Niccol, Besson, Scott, Columbus, Zemeckis, Kubrick, Lynch, Villeneuve, Vaughn, Wiseman, Demeusy and so many others who were precursors of their own style and who inspire me everydays. The 7th art is a big liberty of expression and i see it like a mission. The mission of open our minds and experience a unique moment that will stay in people’s minds. Change the world on our scale, for the better. Just as important is the team. Cinema is teamwork and I find it incredible the number of different professions to allow the general public to share a good time on the big screen.
Color grading – Short Film Crashendo by Florian Lejal
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
Cinema has already changed society. And it will continue to do so. Often a precursor to many subjects, I firmly believe that it is one of the most powerful ways to convey messages in a subtle way. I remember the release of Interstellar, Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, which was at the time the best video materialization of a black hole. Obviously each film has its share of monitoring and documentation to be carried out, especially if the film in question has its share of reality. I think the realism of this film left a lasting impression. Beyond that, this film has raised awareness in the sense that the subject of astronomy and our place in the universe has once again become a subject of interest for part of the population. Instilling one more link between scientific hypotheses and modern society. More recently, even if there are happier stories, which doesn’t stop me from being a total fan (probably because it’s my universe), the Black Mirror series. This series describes the potential excesses of society, and some of the concepts highlighted in the series are (unfortunately) no longer fiction. Then But we can clearly identify with the protagonists of these stories, which makes them very powerful and impactful. Perhaps if there had not been an episode on, for example, the concept of social note, currently applied in China, it would not have been so visible and criticized in the press in the West.
“On Set of The experiment – short film by Florian Lejal”
-What would you change in the world?
In connection with my previous answers, I would like to provide new avenues for reflection and a questioning of our current world in order to bring about positive changes. Coming from the world of communications, I know how much storytelling works. I am sad to see that where the biggest budgets deployed are in communication and especially advertising, to work on product storytelling, to induce a logic of consumption. We could change so much more if thoughts were focused on films that allow an open mind. A new point of view that encourages positive change. The answer is in the question : for me, making films can change the world.
–Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
I think there are going to be many revolutions. We are at the dawn of a new era with artificial intelligence (generative and others). There is an element of fear in the collective consciousness, but everything new or unknown has been scary at some point. From a technological point of view there will still be change, smartphones are witness to this. Fortunately, we still understand the interest in large equipment for cinema films, but maybe one day, that will change. Jobs will surely have to reinvent themselves. In any case, one thing is certain, the best story told will remain deeply human.
